The Groomsmen

Directed by Edward Burns
Starring Edward Burns, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Jay Mohr, Matthew Lillard, Heather Burns, John Mahoney, Donal Logue, Jessica Capshaw

Groomsmen. Ever stopped to wonder what qualifies these men to groom? In Edward Burns' "The Groomsmen," (which debuted at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and opens shortly) the writer/director/producer looks into the matter, and his findings aren't encouraging.

Welcome to Burnsworld, a frat house of guys' guys pledged to angst and avoidance. Burns also plays Paulie, a thirtysomething with cold feet one week before his wedding to pregnant girlfriend Sue (Brittany Murphy).

Also on ice is his maturity, a trait he shares with the four boyhood buddies who will usher him through this mannish rite of passage. Over the course of seven days, each will grapple with what it means to be an adult and confront key issues holding him back.

Here's the round-robin of issues: Paulie's brother Jimbo (Donal Logue) can't face a biological condition; his cousin Mike (Jay Mohr) is stuck on an ex; T.C. (John Leguizamo) has dodged coming out; and Dez (Matthew Lillard) still dreams of being a rock star. The groom himself is too cowed by fatherhood to attend to his future child's mother.

On screen, paisley-eyed Burns gets by on his whiney charm. Rather, it's behind the camera that he tries our patience. We recognize his affection for this posse of stunted growths, but we're too consumed with wishing they'd get a clue to fully join him in the sentiment. Just over a decade ago Burns put himself on the map with his amusingly nosy debut, "The Brothers McMullen." Since then he's churned out a body of confessional comedies that, while failing to deliver on his early promise, have stayed true to his relationship niche.

"The Groomsmen" is in line with that drift, even though it goes heavier on the shouting than earlier titles of the Burns collection. In sum, "The Groomsmen" weds male bonding with prolonged adolescence in an ensemble comedy that is fun to watch, if less than the sum of its parts.